A staple since COSSAās earliest days, the biweekly COSSA Washington Update newsletter provides members and the public with comprehensive coverage of policy developments impacting social and behavioral science research.Ā
CDC Director Fired After Clash with HHS Secretary Kennedy Over Vaccines
On August 28, Director Susan Monarez was fired by the Trump Administration. Monarez, who was confirmed to the role in July after serving as Acting Director since January, came under scrutiny by Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (see previous COSSA coverage). The New York Times reported that she clashed with Secretary Kennedy over vaccine policy, and her removal was later confirmed by the agency in a social media post. At least three other CDC officials have resigned following her termination. A statement published on Twitter by Monarezās lawyers claimed the dismissal was illegal and politically motivated, stating: āFirst it was independent advisory…
ICYMI: Trump Nominates E.J. Antoni for BLS Commissioner
President Trump has nominated E.J. Antoni to lead the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) after abruptly firing and baselessly accusing Commissioner Erika McEntarfer of deliberately reporting false numbers in the latest Employment Situation report (see previous COSSA coverage). Antoni comes from the Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, where he served as a Chief Economist and contributed to Project 2025. He holds a masterās and PhD in economics from Northern Illinois University. The Senate Health, Education, and Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) is rumored to hold a confirmation hearing for Antoni sometime this month. While the role does require Senate confirmation, itās…
PAA to Host Congressional Briefing on “U.S. Birth Rate Trends: Patterns, Drivers, and Implications for American Families”
On October 8, the Population Association of America (PAA) will host a congressional briefing on “U.S. Birth Rate Trends: Patterns, Drivers, and Implications for American Families.” The event will feature a discussion on national and international birth rate trends and evidence on the effects of policy incentives, such as tax credits and paid family leave, in impacting an individualās decision to start a family. The discussion is particularly timely given the Trump Administrationās interest in encouraging higher birth rates nationwide. Speakers will include: PAA is a COSSA governing member organization. RSVP to secure your spot!
July Headlines Webinar Recording Now Available
On July 28, COSSA hosted the recent installment in the 2025 Headlines Webinar series. July’s meeting featured a discussion with research policy experts from COGR on topics like indirect costs, research compliance, and other timely developments impacting the social and behavioral science community. Featured speakers: The recording is now available on the COSSA website. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
Meet COSSAās Policy Intern: Eva Lettiere
Eva Lettiere started as COSSAās policy intern in May. Before she signs off, she provided some reflections from her time at COSSA. How did you learn about COSSA and the opportunity to serve as a policy intern? I learned about COSSA through the director of career services at the University of Chicago, who sent me some summer internship opportunities she thought I might be interested in. Out of all of them, COSSA was the only one that truly captured my interest. I loved that the application process gave me the chance to talk about my experiences with social science research and…
Senate Releases Spending Bills, Republican Senators Push Back Against NIH Funding Delays
Before departing for August Recess, the Senate advanced several bills through the Appropriations Committee, including the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bill, and Labor, Health and Human Services, Education (LHHS) bill (previous COSSA coverage). Both the Senate CJS and LHHS bills included relatively flat funding levels, rejecting the draconian cuts proposed by the Trump Administration earlier this year (see COSSAās analysis). Notably, on July 31, the Senate Appropriations Committee held a mark-up for the LHHS bill in which several amendments were offered, including Senator Dick Durbinās (D-IL) call for the Trump Administration to restore all grants that had been terminated. The…
Latest from the White House (August 5)
Temporary Pause in NIH Funding Released After Chaotic Few Hours On July 29, the Washington Post reported on a temporary pause on the release of National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding, which was later lifted (see related article above). In a budget document authored by the White House Office of Management and Budget to NIH, the agency was given its āfull-year apportionmentā of funding for fiscal year (FY) 2025āwhich ends September 30. However, the document included a footnote that appeared to limit how the money could be spent, including on research grants. Democratic lawmakers were quick to respond, with statements issued by Sen….
Trump Fires BLS Commissioner After Accusing Her of Falsifying Data
On August 1, President Trump abruptly fired the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Commissioner Erika McEntarfer after baselessly accusing her of deliberately reporting false numbers in the Employment Situation report released that morning. The White House released an accompanying statement in which the Administration accused McEntarfer of having a ālengthy history of inaccuraciesā that harmed the publicās trust in the agency. This unprecedented removal of a Congressionally-approved agency head greatly undermines the credibility of the federal economic statistical enterprise, which has been the gold standard for U.S. labor data collection for almost 150 years. COSSA joins the Friends of the Bureau of…
Federal Employees Continue to Speak Up
Last month, employees from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and NASA were the latest to publicly express concern about the Trump Administrationās actions at their respective agencies. In a July 21 letter to House Science Committee Ranking Member Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), NSF employees under the American Federation of Government Employees Local 3403 outlined eight ācategories of harmā being inflicted by the Trump Administration, including staff and grant terminations, massive budget cuts, and the unannounced move from the NSF headquarters in Alexandria, VA. The letter asks the Science Committee to: (1) shield NSF employees from āpolitically motivatedā firings; (2) end the illegal impoundment of appropriated…
Trump Administration Unveils AI Action Plan
On July 23, the Trump Administration unveiledĀ Winning the Race: America’s AI Action Plan,Ā which outlines future federal policy actions designed to ensure the U.S. is a leader in global Artificial Intelligence (AI) development across scientific, practical, and creative uses. The plan is divided into three pillarsāAccelerating AI Innovation, Building American AI Infrastructure, and Leading in International Diplomacy and Securityāwith various sub-goals, including exporting American AI models, deregulating data center construction and private AI development, increasing the use of AI in the government, and cementing AI skill development as a core part of education and workforce training. The report also details plans…
REGISTER NOW: Headlines Webinar on July 28
On July 28, join COSSA for the next installment in the Headlines Webinar series. This month’s meeting will feature a discussion with research policy experts from COGR on topics like indirect costs, research compliance, and other timely developments impacting the social and behavioral science community. Come join the conversation. Featured speakers: The webinar will be taking place on July 28 at 2pm EST. Register here. Headlines is a webinar series available to COSSA member organizations. Watch for additional webinar announcements, and previous webinar recordings, on the COSSA website.
House and Senate Advance CJS Bills; Congress Claws Back FY 2025 Funding
Over the last few weeks, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees released and began consideration of their fiscal year (FY) 2026 appropriations bills, including the Commerce, Justice, and Science (CJS) bills, which funds the National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Justice (NIJ), Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), and the U.S. Census Bureau. On July 10, the Senate made their first attempt to advance the CJS bill through the Appropriations Committee, only to call for an extended recess following arguments over the relocation of the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) headquarters and other provisions. The following week, on July 17,…
Latest from the White House (July 22)
President Trump Establishes New āSchedule Gā Federal Worker Classification On July 17, President Trump issued an executive order (EO), Creating Schedule G in the Excepted Service, which seeks to create a new employee classification within the federal workforce. This effort comes on the heels of the Trump Administrationās addition of a new āSchedule Policy/Careerā classification, making it easier to terminate certain career (or non-political) federal employees whose positions are āpolicy-influencingā (see previous coverage). According to a White House fact sheet: āCreating Schedule G fills [a] gap and facilitates appointments of non-career federal employees who will serve temporarily and implement the policy…
ICYMI: NIH Implements Public Access Policy
On July 1, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) adopted their new Public Access Policy in response to the August 2022 memorandum issued by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP). The memorandum requires federal agencies to make peer-reviewed publications, resulting from federal funding, freely available to the public immediately following publication (see previous COSSA coverage). Manuscripts published after July 1 will be required to follow the new guidelines. NIH has developed a website to help researchers with the transition process.
Mark Calabria Appointed as New Chief Statistician
On July 10, Dr. Mark Calabria was appointed as the new Chief Statistician at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), replacing Dr. Karin Orvis. Calabria currently serves as the Associate Director for Treasury, Housing, and Commerce, a role he will continue in during his tenure as Chief Statistician (see White House announcement). Before his appointment, Calabria was a Senior Advisor at the Cato Institute, and during the first term of the Trump Administration, Calabria served as the Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA). He also previously served as the Chief Economist to Vice President Mike Pence. Orvis,…
NASEM Holds Meeting on Corrections and Retractions Guidelines
Last month, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) held a meeting of the study committee on guidelines for corrections and retractions in published scientific papers. The study committee heard presentations from Kathleen Hall Jamieson, Director of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, Caitlin Bakker, chair of the National Information Standards Organization (NISO) Working Group on Communications of Retractions, and Ivan Oransky, director of Retraction Watch. During the meeting, committee members debated how to balance the interests and responsibilities of competing stakeholders, such as universities, funders, and journal editors and publishers, and how to incentivize retraction investigations and publications….
Applications Open for the Next Cohort of New Voices Program
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) announced applications for the next cohort of their New Voices program are now open. The program invites applications from emerging U.S.-based leaders across all disciplines of the sciences, engineering, and medicine. Ideal candidates will have an established record of professional excellence and a demonstrated commitment to service beyond their immediate discipline and institution. Launched in 2018, the New Voices program aims to bring fresh perspectives from mid-career professionals to important dialogues around how science, engineering, and medicine are shaping the global future. Membership in the New Voices program offers the opportunity to join a…
SSRC, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Offer Research Relief Funding
The Social Science Research Council (SSRC), with generous support from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, is offering emergency funding to principal investigators (PIs) conducting economics-related research whose federal grants have been terminated by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The Economic Research Rescue Fund is intended for PIs who received an NSF award prior to June 1, 2025 and had their award terminated, cancelled or suspended. Effected researchers can apply for funding up to $250,000 to help mitigate disruptions to the economics-related project. Full details are available here. SSRC is a COSSA member organization.
COSSA Releases Complete Analysis of the President’s FY 2026 Budget Request for Social and Behavioral Science
On May 3, the Trump Administration released preliminary, high-level details of its fiscal year (FY) 2026 budget request, referred to as a āskinny budget.ā On May 30, additional details emerged. COSSA released a preliminary analysis for some government agencies on June 18, 2025. This document replaces the June 18 report and provides additional analysis. When considering an Administrationās budget proposal, it is important to remember that it remains a largely symbolic policy document outlining the Administrationās priorities for the year ahead. While it is possible that some of the Presidentās requests will be enacted, Congress has the final say over the appropriation…